Distribution of Business Partner Master
Data 
Use
You distribute business partner master data between the CRM and ERP systems using CRM Middleware.
When you use a business partner in a business transaction in CRM, the business partner master data is exported to the ERP system for further processing. In the ERP system, customer master records are created from business partner master data that has been distributed from the CRM system.
Existing customer master data is imported from the ERP system for use as business partner master data in CRM.
In addition, data can also be exchanged with other systems, such as SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence.
For more
information about data exchange, see the documentation about Middleware in SAP
library under 
CRM
Middleware.
For more information about replicating business partner data, see Basic Settings for mySAP CRM in the Solution
Manager.
Prerequisites
You can make the necessary settings for the distribution of business partner master data (upload and download) in the plug-in for the current release in the transaction PIDE.
Features
Distribution from CRM to ERP
How business partner master data from CRM is distributed as customer master data to the ERP system depends on the following:
The following classifications specify the ERP account groups with which customer master records are created in the ERP system from distributed business partner master data:
○ Consumer (organization or person)
○ Customer
○ Prospect
○ Competitor
● Number Assignment
Determines whether the respective account group has internal or external number assignment
If number assignment is external, the customer master record is created in the ERP system with the same number as the business partner master record in the CRM system.
CRM Classification |
Account Group in ERP |
Number Assignment |
Customer |
0001 |
Internal |
Prospect |
0005 |
External |
■ Customer master records are created with the account group for customers and internal number assignment in the ERP system.
■ Master records for prospects are created with the account group for prospects and external number assignment in the ERP system.
■ If you have not assigned an account group for business partner master records, the data is not distributed.
Distribution of Customer Master Data from ERP to CRM
You can distribute customer master data from the ERP system for use in CRM. For each account group in the ERP system, you specify the following for creating business partner master records in CRM:
Indicates how the business partner is used in CRM
● Grouping
Determines the number range. The entry in the grouping field determines whether and how an entry is made in the business partner number field.
If you use the grouping to set number assignment to external, the business partner master record is created in the CRM system with the same number as the customer master record from the ERP system.
Account Group in ERP |
CRM Classification |
Grouping |
0005 |
Prospect |
0001 |
0006 |
Competitors |
0002 |
0003 |
Customer |
|
0170 |
Consumer |
0002 |
■ Customer master records with account group 0005 in the ERP system are created as business partner master records with the classification Prospect and the grouping 0001 in CRM.
■ Customer master records with account group 0006 in the ERP system are created as business partner master records with the classification Competitor and the grouping 0002 in CRM.
■ Customer master records with account group 0003 in the ERP system are not created as business partner master records in CRM.
If you have not established a grouping for an account group for customer master records, the data is not distributed.
■ Customer master records with the account group 0170 in the ERP system are created as business partner master records with the classification Consumer and the grouping 0002 in CRM.
Distribution of Consumer Master Records
Distribution from CRM to ERP
For business partner master data that you create in the CRM system as Consumers, it is crucial whether the business partners are organizations or persons. Organizations are distributed to the ERP system as business partner master data for customers, while persons are distributed as business partner master data for consumers. The latter case concerns true consumers.
In the case of organizations, the sales area data transferred from the reference business partner is also distributed. In the case of persons, this data is not also distributed, but is rather determined from the reference customer in the ERP system.
Distribution from ERP to CRM
To distribute consumer master records from the ERP system to the CRM system maintain the reference business partner and the sales area data belonging to it in the relevant Customizing activity by choosing Business Partner ® Basic Settings. Alternatively, you can download the reference customer from the ERP system.
Customer master records with the account group for consumers who are people, are created as real consumer master records in the CRM system, because the sales area data is transferred from the reference business partner.
External Interface
The external interface allows you to communicate with external systems. You can exchange data on the business partner and its relationships using this interface.
Data Exchange with Business Intelligence (BI)
You can extract data on a business partner and enter it in the BI system.
For more information on which CRM-specific data and which data on the SAP Business Partner can be extracted, see the BI content documentation in SAP Library under SAP NetWeaver by Key Capability ® Information Integration by Key Capability ® BI Content ® Cross-Application Components ® Business Partner or Customer Relationship Management ® Analytics ® BI Content.
Data Exchange with Dun & Bradstreet Using BI
For more information, see the BI content documentation in SAP Library under SAP NetWeaver by Key Capability ® Information Integration by Key Capability ® BI Content ® External Sources ® D&B Marketing ® Dun & Bradstreet External Market Data.
Data Exchange with CRM Mobile
You can exchange business partners and their relationships from CRM Mobile directly with the CRM Server.
For example it is possible to exchange prospects between CRM Mobile and the CRM Server without these prospects having to be transferred to a connected ERP system.
For more information, see the documentation in SAP library about the SAP Mobile Application Studio under System Administration.
Integration
In Business Partner Customizing, you make the settings for creating business partners from HR master data distributed by ALE from the ERP system to CRM. You do this in the Customizing activities under Integration Business Partners - Employees.
If you want to assign business partners who are employees to business partners for partner function types (for example, Employee responsible) you must distribute master data from the ERP system in the following order:
● Distribute HR master data by ALE
● Execute the initial download of customer master data using Middleware